In Memory Lost
by Dark Maria
Summary: Part Five of Fair Winds of Cybertron. An amnesiac who should be very familiar to those who read my stories dodges pursuers as she struggles to make sense of her dreams. Read and review, please.
1. Prologue: City at Night

-1I told you it wouldn't be as long this time, didn't I? If I didn't, well, I'm saying it now.

Standard disclaimer, blah blah blah, I just own the OC's, the plot, and whatever hasn't already been claimed.

Anyway, here we go…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Memory Lost

The breeze blew in from the ocean to whistle down the canyons of the city, finding its way to back alleys where orange lights reflected off puddles left by recent rain. It was a warm, humid summer night in Mission City, and everyone was feeling it; man and city-dwelling animal alike. It seemed as if the nighttime streets were quieter than normal, bordering on comparative silence, those who lived and worked by night rendered just as lethargic as their daytime counterparts. Perhaps that made the streets that much safer, as burglars and criminals waited for a break in the heat.

The sound of footfalls broke the silence, each one as loud and clear as the beat of a drum. Normally the ambient sounds of city life would drown them out, but not tonight, as there were no ambient sounds to mask them. A lone shadow pierced the beams of orange light… A woman, alone, traveling by night. Dressed fairly well, with a purse by her side, she seemed no ragged street rat as she walked with purpose, appearing to know exactly where she wanted to go. But that would not save her this night. Hot night or not, such tempting prey couldn't help but attract predators.

The robber moved in from an adjoining alley, pistol at the ready, demanding that she surrender anything of value; words often heard from robbers. However, the woman's response was anything but typical. She spoke not a word in response; no, she merely smiled, a mysterious little smile that held an edge of mischief. That was the only warning the robber got that something wasn't right, had it been recognized for what it was. Something stirred inside the woman's purse, extending crablike legs up and slowly opening the flap that held it shut, something no larger than a fair-sized rat. Tiny eyes like crimson stars fixed on the robber as a glittering shape readied itself to strike.

The unfortunate robber had only a moment's glimpse of something completely strange swiftly jumping toward his face before those crablike legs revealed that they doubled as very tiny swords. An instant later the robber's body fell backwards in death, the odd attacker hopping from the mauled face to land with the clatter of plastic on blacktop. Looking over its handiwork, the thing made a noise that sounded like a smattering of binary code crossed with a series of odd, warbling chirps before turning back to the woman. All ferocity gone, it scuttled over to her in the manner of a spider before proceeding to climb up her leg and return to its perch on her purse. Looking down at it, the woman smiled as she gave the thing a gentle pat. "Good boy," she said; the first words she had spoken during the whole exchange. Beeping happily at her praise, the strange little thing clambered back into her purse, its job done.

Turning to the body, the woman disregarded the small amount of blood on the ground as she knelt, rifling the corpse's pockets. Evidently she'd been the latest target on a busy night, for there was all sorts of loot stashed away. Money, jewelry, precious gemstones… She disregarded them all. No, she was after something different. A smile crossed her face as she found what she was looking for. The robber had also stolen several cell phones. These she took, placing them in her pockets before standing up and continuing on her way as if nothing had happened. Everything had gone according to plan.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not a bad start, I hope.

Read and review, please!


	2. Questions

-1Sorry I took so long to update. I went home for Christmas and had no internet access since Dad's computer pooped out.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_She dreamed, and in her dreams she found herself standing before a terrifying creature like nothing any normal human could ever have imagined. It was seemingly fashioned solely from highly polished silver, and the only thing her mind could label it as was some sort of monster. Demonic red eyes fixed on her as the thing, which looked huge enough to pick her up as if she were a small doll, turned to face her, kneeling for a better look. The sight of her drew a smile that bared fearsome fangs, and she couldn't tell whether it was a gentle smile or an evil grin, but either way it was pretty scary. It spoke, and its voice was a booming growl completely unintelligible to her, as her terror masked the words. Terrible claws reached out and she panicked, turning to run as it cried out behind her_…

Dirty water dripped sluggishly from a debris-clogged gutter, plunking down fat droplets upon the shabby cardboard box in which the woman rested. She had no knowledge of who she was or how she had come to wander the streets of Mission City, a problem that weighed heavily on her mind. The only clues she had were the exotic blue markings that covered her body, and her many peculiarities. She had been in the city for many days, and still she had yet to feel hunger or thirst. Another peculiarity had made itself known to her in the form of Dial-Tone, a cell phone she had somehow made into… something else. The rat-sized creature refused to leave her side for any reason, and it had subsequently become part of her plans for the future. Using herself as bait, she prowled the city streets each night, luring in then dispatching robbers who fell for her trap, snatching up whatever stolen devices they had on them. It was always machines she stole, the more high-tech the better, for they fetched high prices when returned to their owners. Having seemingly no need to purchase food or anything to drink, she was saving up to rent an apartment and begin establishing a life for herself. First would come an apartment, a place to use as a base of operations, and then a job. Maybe she would fix computers or cars… Either option would work just fine, since her uncanny talent seemed to extend to all technology. Car or computer, cell phone or television, each device seemed to have something in common, some indefinable essence that called out to something deep within her. There was some kind of link there; she was bound to something, or someone she either didn't know or couldn't remember. She was willing to lay odds on it being the latter, since feeling the link's presence brought her a bittersweet sort of comfort. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had loved someone once, had loved them very dearly, yet lost it all somehow. Who had she loved? How had she lost them? Truth be told, those were the questions that weighed heaviest on her mind, and the ones that hurt her most. It seemed as though hardly a moment went by wherein she didn't feel as if her very soul was being crushed by the agony of losing something she couldn't even remember having. As if sensing the change in her mood, Dial-Tone emerged from her purse and clambered up her pants. Looking down at where the transformed cell phone beeped and chattered up at her, she smiled and gave it a pat before shooing it back into her purse for its own safety. After all, it simply wouldn't do for people to see the little thing. They would probably hurt it.

There really seemed to be no reason for it, but the sight of that one single unmarked van made every mental alarm she had go haywire. Forsaking her cardboard shelter, she drew backward into the shadows cast by the alleyway's high walls, swiftly ducking out of sight. The adjoining city street upon which the van slowly cruised was very noisy, as city streets usually are, so no one noticed her quiet departure, least of all whoever was driving the van. She only allowed herself a small, soft sigh of relief before getting back to business. It seemed it was time for her to move on to another part of the city, for _they_ had come again, the ones she just _knew_ were after her. Suspicious men in business suits, led by a man she somehow couldn't help but hate. Something about his voice… She'd only had to hear him speak a few words and hatred had immediately blossomed within her, though she had no idea why. Was he a clue to her past and her identity? She didn't know, and she didn't care. All that really mattered to her was the fact that she just _knew_ he was bad news.

In a darkened room, a group of men in suits sat around a table and watched as another man briefed them on the situation they faced. A small projector positioned in the middle of the table projected an image of a woman up on the screen behind the man doing the briefing. "There she is, boys… Sarah Hornsby." He paused. "She was last sighted back in early 2008, right around when NBE-01 reappeared. She was present during the capture attempt, and reports state she displayed some sort of machine-controlling ability. Roughly a day later, security camera records place her in an electronics store during an aborted attack from another NBE and suggest her presence caused the creation of a _third_ NBE. An interview with the landlord at her last known address indicated that she had packed up in a hurry as if preparing for a long trip. That was the last anyone saw of her…" There was a pause. "Until now. We're getting reports of a woman matching her description living on the streets down in Mission City. Due to her connection to the incidents surrounding NBE-01's reappearance, we're going to bring her in no matter what it takes."

It had taken her all day to get there, but she had chosen to move closer to the city's edge, hoping her distance from the city's center would mean more places to hide. Moving among the smaller, run-down buildings, she looked around for a place to sleep even as the setting sun bathed the sky in brilliant shades of red and orange that even at that moment were deepening into violet. As she stared up at the darkening sky, she spotted a shooting star… no, it was more like a fireball blazing a trail of light through the heavens. Something else soared beside it, a strange jet glowing an incandescent reddish yellow as if it was red hot. Why would a jet fly beside a meteor? Seemingly synchronized with its reentry into her thoughts, the meteor abruptly broke up. Strangely enough, it seemed to split apart rather than exploding, four fragments of seemingly almost equal size flying in different directions as if each one was actively seeking somewhere to land rather than crashing haphazardly as any regular meteor would do. The jet, for its part, almost seemed to be cooling off, red fading into an impossibly glossy silver, a brilliant mirror sheen that reflected the sunset's colors in the manner of sunlight playing on rippling water. Somehow, despite how utterly amazing the strange meteor was with its persistent seeming refusal to obey the laws of physics, it was the jet that drew her attention the most. There was something about it, something both maddeningly familiar and terribly important, as if whatever it was, whatever it represented, was as integral to learning who she truly was as finding out her real name. But that feeling was all but eclipsed by the realization that whatever she was looking at was about as far from normal as it was possible to get, as if she was looking at something that simply didn't belong in the world period, much less the world she knew. Strangely alluring or not, common sense dictated that he would have to learn more… a lot more… before she could dare to approach whatever it was she was seeing at that moment. A series of loud beeps drew her attention down to her side, where Dial-Tone had climbed out of her purse to stare up at the jet and the meteor, chattering with almost hysterical excitement and bouncing up and down. "Calm down, Dial-Tone. We don't know what those are." A sigh escaped her. "…I really wish I could understand you." There wasn't much noise as the jet passed from her view, just like the fragments of the meteor had done moments before. When both were gone from the sky, she turned to walk away, retracing her steps. Maybe being out at the city's edge wasn't such a good idea after all…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so it begins…


	3. A most fitting job

-1All right, even though no one's really reading this, here's part three.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Down in an empty alley, tucked away where no other eyes could see her, the woman pulled out the money she'd saved up from the stolen stuff she had returned. A quick count made her decide that it simply wasn't enough. No, this would warrant a change of plans. Rather than seeking an apartment first, she would have to find a job. She even knew where she would ask… A car repair shop just up the street. Something about cars… It just seemed _right_ somehow. Had she been a car mechanic before losing her memory? That seemed to be the likeliest explanation. Then why the connection to machines in general?

The sky roared, drawing an upward-aimed double take from her just in time for her to catch a glimpse of something passing low overhead… _very_ low. A shadow flickered across her face but she ignored it as she identified what was passing overhead. A glossy silver jet… that same jet?… was passing by so slowly as to seem to be suspended from a string, mere feet above the rooftops. Drawing backward into the shadow of a fire escape, she held her breath as it passed by, seemingly unaware of her presence. Why did she get the feeling that it was looking specifically for her? The roar of its passing faded into silence as it left her field of view, and as soon as it was gone she calmed down. Now that the sudden episode of weirdness was over, it was time to go apply for that job.

The bell set above the door chimed sharply as she entered the repair shop, drawing the attention of the mechanics working there. It didn't take long for the boss to get to her. "What can I do for you, lady? Your car break down or something?" She shook her head with a polite, gentle smile. "No, I came to apply for a job." Stepping backward, the man smiled back at her. "Normally we don't take walk-in applications, but it just so happens we're short a guy. Come on over here and let's see what you can do. If you got the skills, you got the job." He led her to one of the cars the others were working on. "Here's your tools," he said, gesturing to a semi-organized pile of wrenches and the like. Wasting no time, she picked up a wrench and seemed to fall into what seemed to her like some sort of trance. She could almost swear that the car _spoke_ to her, telling her what was wrong and how to fix it. Working with a grace and dexterity that was all but unknown to most humans, she corrected the problem. The strange thing (as if hearing the car talk to her wasn't strange enough) was that the car then began to offer suggestions on how to make it run better. It felt as if she had come home as she followed the car's suggestions, feeling far more energized and _alive_ than she had ever felt before in all her limited memory.

"Lady, I don't know what you did, but the owner of that car says it had to have been downright miraculous! You got the job. How soon can you start?" A triumphant grin spread across her face. "I can start whenever you like. Heck, I can start right now if you want." The two of them shook hands. "Welcome to the team, lady. What's your name?" She couldn't hide the look of embarrassment that crossed her face at that question. "You mean you don't know your name?" All but blushing, she nodded. "I must've had an accident a few months back. Been wandering around ever since, trying to remember my old life. I eventually decided to give up on that and just start a new one. As for a name… I don't have one." Her new boss just smiled at her. "Then I guess I'll call you Ace." Something bubbled up in the back of her mind, a word she'd been toying with. The name of a stone, a stone that created sparks. Sparks; a word for something she knew was vital to her, to who she was. No, not the sparks themselves, but their creation, what made them… "Flint. My name is Ace Flint. …God, that just sounds _so_ lame. But it's all I've got, so I'll work with it." The man nodded. "Well, Miss Flint… Welcome to the team."

The repair shop swiftly became a haven for her, the one place where things made sense. There she didn't have to wonder about who she was or where she came from, questions she couldn't answer, problems she couldn't solve. In the repair shop, the only problems presented to her were ones she _could_ solve, in her own unique way. Her fellow mechanics found themselves having to get used to the presence of Dial-Tone, whom they all assumed she had constructed by herself. Though the little thing's presence was disconcerting at first, they all warmed up to the transformed cell phone fairly quickly when it started doing its level best to help out, sorting small parts and locating misplaced tools. Once word of her incredible skills got out, the money started pouring in, as just about everybody in Mission City wanted to have her work on their cars. There was talk of her peculiar alterations improving efficiency, overall handling, wear and tear, even gas mileage. There was semi-joking talk of some of her better jobs being submitted to the world's premier technical colleges for the greatest minds to analyze and attempt to understand. Using a faction of the money her jobs earned her, which was considerable to say the least, she was able to rent an apartment nearby. Once she had finished furnishing her apartment with secondhand furniture since she really didn't need anything better, the rest went to charity, since she had more money than she needed. Word of her skills was spreading fast…

_The thing cried a name she couldn't hear but she somehow knew was hers, almost sounding as if it was in pain. Why could she not understand its shouted pleas? It seemed to be asking something of her, begging her to understand, to stay, something_… _Those fearsome claws reached out in a desperate entreaty even as she recoiled and turned to run. Somehow she got the sense that it needed her for some reason, needed her so badly_… _And some part of her seemed to respond to it, this strange silver monstrosity haunting her dreams. Why was her fear of it dying away, as if some deeply buried part of her could somehow sense that it meant her no harm, that it in fact intended the opposite?_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read and review, please. I'm really getting discouraged by the lack of response here…


	4. The cars are chasing me

-1Yay, one review. *semi-sarcastic clap*

Here's the next installment anyway.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking to her job one morning, the sight of one particular car from across a crowded street gave her what could almost be construed as the fright of her life. It wasn't anything special, really… Just a simple little yellow car with a pair of black racing stripes along the top. But there was something about it; she wasn't really sure what. Somehow she just got the feeling that she was looking at a car that was as far from ordinary as she was. Swiftly ducking down a side street, she took a longer route to her job and breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing she was not being followed. Picking up a wrench, she drove all thought of the incident from her mind as she began to work on her first vehicle of the day.

As it turned out, the little yellow car was only the beginning. A sleek little silver sports car showed up not long after, followed by a positively enormous black pickup truck and what looked to be an ambulance colored the most ungodly shade of yellow-green she could possibly imagine. However, the red and blue flame-painted big rig topped them all. And that jet… always that jet. There was hardly a day where it didn't sweep across the sky at least once. Thus far she had avoided them all, but things were starting to get creepy. What was with those vehicles? Why were they after her? Why did some part of her urge her toward them, as if they held the key to literally everything? Her curiosity would get her killed if she wasn't careful; she was sure of it. It would be safer to stay away, urges or not.

_Every time the thing appeared in her dreams she could see it more and more clearly, and she found herself fearing it less and less. Its voice was becoming clearer too, finally allowing her to hear what it had to say. _"Don't go. Please." _This time she chose not to run as she had done each time before._ "Ah, good, good. I won't hurt you. I want to help you." _The realization that she wasn't running calmed it significantly. _"I have the answers you seek. I've been trying so hard to reach you, but you kept running away…" _She interrupted it, speaking up for the first time in the whole exchange. _"Wait a minute. You're saying you know everything?" _The monster looked a little bit smug as it nodded. _"Indeed I do. All of it." _She crossed her arms and gave a slight sneer as she took a step backward, unsure how to respond to that. _"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be one heck of a story?" _Though the comment had been made in jest, it was taken in all seriousness. _"Because it is. Were I one of your species, I doubt I would believe it myself." _She stepped a little closer, feeling kind of nervous. _"All right, let's just start at the beginning. First off, who are you?" _The thing smiled at the realization that she wasn't going to run off as she had done all the previous times it had tried to reach her. _"I am…"

The sound of a honking horn startled her awake with a loud yelp that contained a hint of frustration. The yellow car from before was parked at the end of the alley, just idling quietly, and it honked again as if realizing it had gotten her attention. Looking through the driver's side window, she saw that there was no one in the driver's seat. Then how in the heck did it honk at her? A third honk broke her out of her reverie and she turned to run. As she dashed down the alley, she took a moment to wonder how in the world it had managed to find her. She'd thought she'd left no trace behind, sneaking right past her pursuers with no one the wiser. "Looks like I didn't do that after all," she said to herself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We're starting to get toward more action, folks. Read and review, please.


	5. Trouble with a capital S

-1Here's the start of the action I promised.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She wasn't sure what caused it. A mistake, a misstep, something… It didn't really matter to her. All that mattered was that the yellow car was giving chase as she ran down the street. Desperate to lose it, she pushed past anybody and everybody unfortunate enough to wind up in her path, blurting out apology after apology as she went. Tripping over a newspaper salesman's stock, she earned herself a few choice invectives that she paid no mind to as she picked herself up and kept going. Pushing herself harder, harder, she dashed down side streets and doubled back again and again, giving it everything she had. Ducking behind a crowd of people, she used them as cover, hiding the fact that she had switched streets, darting down an alley. Not slowing down, she sprinted down two more alleys and took two more corners before even daring to pause. There was no sign of her pursuer. It appeared that she had lost him, or it, or whatever it was. She was safe now, but things had officially gone too far. Seeing creepy cars was one thing, but being _chased?_

"Man, this has got to be the weirdest day anybody's ever had. _Why am I being chased by a bunch of psycho cars and some kind of demonic jet?!_" Up ahead, a pair of what appeared to be policemen were standing next to what appeared to be a police van. "Thank goodness!" She was there in what seemed to her to be the longest instant ever, trying to explain what was going on even as a third man, this one wearing a business suit, stepped into her view. The sight of him silenced her, but the sound of his voice did far more than that. "You can call me Agent Simmons. Hello, Sarah, or should I say _NBE-Alpha?_"

"You…" She knew that voice somehow; had heard it before. It was the man some part of her couldn't help but hate. One of the policemen opened a door on the van. "You're coming with us, lady. Come along quietly and everything will be just fine, all right?" Something deep down inside her screamed at her that she couldn't let them take her. _"No!" _She pulled away as the two policemen moved in to grab her. It was then that her purse opened up as Dial-Tone came to its creator's defense. "Dial-Tone, _don't!_" The man the transformed cell phone had chosen as its target showed remarkably fast reflexes as he swatted the little thing away to land on the ground. His partner already had his gun out as he took a shot despite her cries. An instant later she was screaming in rage at the sight of the smoking husk that was all that remained of her little protector. _"You killed him!"_

Several more men stepped into view, having been out of her line of sight behind the van, which two of them were quickly stripping of the 'police' label. Beneath the fake label and distinctive colors, the van was a dead black, marked with two symbols that filled her with dread… 'S7'. All this meant nothing to the men who had just stepped into her view, and they used her momentary distraction to grab her. Giving a wordless cry of anger, she threw all her strength into trying to break free. It took four of them just to hold her in place and even then they were having trouble, a fact that made her think she stood a pretty good chance of breaking free fairly soon… at least until something whacked her upside the head. Her vision erupted in a cascade of white and she was out before she knew it.

"…And that's why I'm stuck here in La-La Land." _The monster gave a fearsome growl, baring its terrible fangs. _"Sector Seven," _it snarled in stark black rage. Shrugging, she tried to defuse the situation. _"At least we don't have to worry about interruptions this time around…" _A sigh escaped it as it realized the truth behind her words and calmed down. _"…True. I'd just hoped they day I met you would be the last I'd ever see of them." _A question immediately jumped into her mind. _"The day you met me?" _It nodded with a wry smile at the memory. _"It's a long story… so it would probably be easier to just show you." _This confused her, to say the least. _"Show me? How in the world do you plan on showing me anything?" _The thing seemed to smirk at her, an expression that held no condescension, merely relief that she was finally starting to understand. _"Can't you feel how we're connected? That's why I'm able to speak to you like this." _This statement gave her pause. Yes, she felt something_… _They were indeed connected, though she had no idea how. The uncertain, questioning look on her face prompted it to speak again_. "I know you can feel it too, just like I can. This is the key to it all, to understanding what you lost, what I still have. I will give you everything I have, everything I can… Sarah."

The world in its entirety was completely different when _Sarah_ awakened in the back of the Sector Seven van as it pulled up to its destination. All she could do was wait, so wait she did, as the agents who had captured her prepared to get her out of the van and escort her to wherever they were using as a base. The door opened to the thundering roar of water and lots of it, a vast, unending cascade of water. As she was let out of the van, she took stock of where she was. A huge tunnel of some sort, created on a scale that seemed to suit Megatron and his kin far better than the humans who used it, made of concrete that smelled of equal parts age and mildew accentuated by the damp air. Several hundred feet behind the lot of them, the tunnel opened onto what appeared to be a dusty brown vista overlooking a deep blue lake that mirrored the cloudless sky above it. _A wide-open space_… _A straight shot to the open sky_… She looked around at all the men surrounding her. _They know about me and what I can do, but I'm willing to bet they don't know the rest! _Wasting no more time, she lashed out with more than human strength to throw them all back before transforming even as she took off running for the exit at top speed.

It felt good to be back in what she had come to think of as her true shape, Zephyr had to admit. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed it; that and the ability to fly. And speaking of flying… Taking her sprinting steps into an upward leap, she shifted into jet form and blasted off. "Shoot her down! _Shoot her down!_" The sound of rocket-powered grenades being fired in her general direction drew her attention and she soon found herself dodging for dear life, concentrating on not hitting any walls and letting the rockets pass her by. Left, right, up, down, spinning sideways… Every move she knew or could think up on the fly was summarily used in rapid succession. So engaged was she in her desperate dodging that she failed to notice that the huge, thick metal doors to the tunnel had closed… at least until she slammed into them. A thunderous crash deafened everyone in the area, and a second, smaller crash sounded as the now badly damaged jet fell to the ground. A moment later Zephyr shifted back into her normal form and tried to stand on two badly broken legs, shattered claws struggling to pull the doors back open.

Simmons stepped forward as a good dozen men carrying back-mounted liquid nitrogen guns began to close in. "Leaving so soon, NBE-Alpha? You've only just gotten here!" Stumbling and falling to her knees, she gouged fairly deep claw marks in the doors that had blocked her escape, still trying to pry them open. "I want to go home," she quavered, voice shaking from the pain she was in as she unknowingly revealed to them that whatever alien species she represented had gender divisions just as humans did, another similarity that intrigued him to no end. Simmons stood his ground as the others continued to advance on her. "Why, you _are_ home!" She tried to swipe her claws at the advancing agents even as Simmons spoke up again. "You have no idea how wonderful it is that we found you. All our research came to a dead halt when we lost NBE-01 and the Cube. Now, with you here, we can finally resume. And better yet, your armor is split open so we can study what lies beneath it. Do you have any idea how much time we spent trying in vain to crack NBE-01?" Any reply she might have made was summarily drowned out by the sound of a dozen freeze guns firing as she tried in vain to crawl away, cornered against the closed doors and the side of the tunnel. Her pleas to be let go fell on deaf, uncaring ears, softening and slurring as the cold enfolded her, forcing her mind into the dark…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh dear, huh?

Read and review, please! Let me know how I'm doing!


	6. In the deep freeze

-1Okay, here's the next part… Sort of an interlude, I guess you could call it. Look for the segment that owes its inspiration to 'Whispers In The Dark' by Oni-Gil!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things were finally back to normal for Sector Seven. The loss of both of their prized specimens had just about meant the end of the organization itself. Now the elaborate web of scaffolding and wires that had secured NBE-01 and held him to his frozen sleep had a new occupant. The brilliant silver the workers had all come to know over the years had been replaced with incredibly glossy coal-black, a pure shade and a bright sheen that would make even the finest racecars look grungy. As they got used to the change, they found themselves fascinated by the intricate blue traceries that trimmed each spike and highlighted each curve, adding a sense of delicate beauty to an otherwise intimidating shape. Preliminary testing was beginning to indicate a radically different internal design schematic, nothing like NBE-01's in the slightest, and it was generally accepted that the much heavier insulation they found throughout indicated the presence of a very powerful energy source tucked away somewhere deep within the ice-encrusted body.

The lab technicians and engineers were as happy as could be, thrilled by the possibility of discovering something entirely new. Through long years they and their predecessors had gained the most intimate knowledge of NBE-01's inner workings, and the discoveries they had made had changed the world more radically than any of them had ever dreamed. The new specimen seemed to be a step up from that design, more _evolved_ if that word could be used, or perhaps an upgrade. What groundbreaking discoveries could the study of the energy contained within the specimen produce? Humankind's knowledge could very well experience another leap ahead like the one NBE-01 had brought, elevating their species to pinnacles undreamed of. Here, perhaps, could be an answer to the energy crisis, or more. NBE-01 had placed the stars within their reach. What would NBE-Alpha bring them?

Simmons, too, was as happy as a proverbial clam. Sector Seven was a family business for him, after all, and he was following in the footsteps of his father, and _his_ father, and _his_ father. All of them had considered Sector Seven theirs, the Cube theirs, NBE-01 theirs… What greater legacy could a man hope to pass on to his children than the world-changing knowledge that could be gained from the study of both? In his mind, losing both the Cube and NBE-01 had been a massive blow to his family's honor, something he had simply refused to accept or willingly bear. Both specimens had been something he too had hoped to pass on in the manner of his father, continuing the tradition he felt was inherent in his family name. But now they had NBE-Alpha, an entirely new specimen, and all the secrets _she_ held… all his, all of it his to make the most of and pass on! Sometimes he would just stand and stare up at her in something approximating awe and think "Mine… All mine!" Other times he would climb the scaffolding to NBE-Alpha's eye level… those brilliant blue eyes that had blazed so brightly, now closed forever in endless icy sleep… and speak to her of how safe and secure she was in this place, how they wouldn't lose her as they had NBE-01. She was his, his to pass on to his children, and to their children, and so on…

As everyone else rejoiced over their new specimen, the base's security guards did the exact opposite. Being assigned to guard the laboratory area overnight was beginning to be considered an initiation ritual, as it was swiftly becoming what they all considered the worst assignment possible, and no one ever volunteered for a second night. After all, it was a generally accepted fact among them that the area where the specimen was held was haunted by the ghost of one of the many people who had been killed when NBE-01 broke loose that day. Tales of terrifying experiences were swapped whenever there was free time, stories told over lunch or coffee, all stating the same thing without variation. When the workers left for the day and the lights went down, when the machines were shut off and the daytime activity was all done, any security guard unlucky enough to be stuck on patrol duty there would inevitably hear the faint sound of a woman crying…

For Zephyr, the next unknown interval of time was spent in a vaguely unpleasant haze of restless nightmares and semi-awareness of being poked and prodded in sometimes painful ways. The scientists crawled over her comparatively massive form, sometimes removing parts for a closer look, or to study how she regenerated those parts… Other times they would do various things to her neural circuitry, things that left her silently screaming… It was only through the blessings of luck that they had yet to touch her spark chamber, though how long that would remain the case was literally anyone's guess. Thoughts of her beloved drifted through her mind. Was this how it had been for him? Boredom, unending cold, the feeling of violation mingled with bolts of screaming pain… When she had first made contact with Megatron's mind, before she even knew what was going on, she had felt his utter hatred for the human race. Now, in this moment, she felt she couldn't blame him in the slightest. To have known only Sector Seven as his sole example of humanity… She also felt she knew why she had hated Simmons right off the bat. As it turned out, the hatred hadn't been hers at all… not initially. The hate she had felt at first had been Megatron's. He had known the man's voice during his imprisonment and grown to hate him most of all, so strongly that it had even passed to her. As she stood paralyzed in her icy prison, listening to him gloat about owning her, as if she was just a thing and not a person, she found herself swiftly beginning to develop her own hatred for the man.

There really was no warning, although it wasn't as if much of anything could make it through the ice-spawned haze that filled her mind. She'd never been able to make any sense of the muffled, distorted hum of their speech, though that was understandable, given the fact that her mental state barely qualified as such. And thus it was that the bolt of white-hot agony that speared right through the center of her chest came as a complete surprise, setting every fiber of her mind, body and spark ablaze as she screamed like she had never screamed before. Horror joined the pain at the sudden feeling of exposure, of having her very _being_ laid bare, as she felt the cover to her spark chamber be pulled off. Human screams rose to join the cries she could only utter in her mind as the All Spark's power, released from the container that had been pretty much the only thing to control it save her will, which the ice had silenced, erupted forth to scour the room that contained her with thick tendrils of what appeared to be pure lightning. The power acted like water, in that it sought out and seeped through any cracks it could find in the impenetrable walls, walls no energy or transmission was supposed to be able to pass. The walls proved to be less impenetrable than had previously been thought as the energy found its way through…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It won't be too long now…

Read and review, please! Seriously.


	7. The breakthrough is made

-1And the cavalry arrives!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a high, secluded hill on the outskirts of Mission City, a grouping of five eclectic vehicles idled as if their owners had abruptly vanished off the face of the Earth or just headed off for a quick bathroom break. Any onlooker would have been puzzled… at least until all five transformed, only to loiter dejectedly like a group of sullen teenagers who had been grounded for a month. "There's been no sign of her anywhere," Bumblebee said softly, the despair he was beginning to feel coloring his voice. One by one the others reported that they'd had the same luck, or lack of luck as the case may have been. Taking all this in, Optimus nodded. "I haven't seen anything either. Maybe Megatron's had better luck… Ah, there he is now." And indeed he was; that unmistakable silver jet swooping gracefully down to land as lightly as a falling leaf before transforming and standing up to face his brother. The look on his face answered Optimus's question before he could even ask it. "…You haven't found anything either." It hurt him to see the desolation on his brother's face and the growing despair in his eyes. "I don't even know where to start, Optimus," he said sadly, halfway between utter despair and arm-flailing exasperation. "I know Sector Seven has her, but where? _Where? _There's so many places a captive human can be hidden away… And since my link to her just suddenly cut off, I…" He abruptly turned away from the lot of them, trying to hide the fact that he was frustrated almost to the point of tears. "I don't even know if we _can_ find her…" Stepping closer, Optimus laid his hand on his brother's shoulder in an attempt to offer at least a little comfort. "We'll find her, Megatron. Even if we have to search until the end of time." Looking over his shoulder, the former Decepticon gave a faint, wan smile. It was obvious to all of them how much he was suffering without her. She was his stability, her presence and love holding at bay the lingering turmoil spawned from the madness the original All Spark had stirred in him. Without her… He feared to think of what her loss could mean. They all did. Would he fall to darkness again? Would he even survive losing her? _Could_ he survive?

No one was more horrified than Optimus as Megatron abruptly gave a loud gasp and clutched at his chest before collapsing to his knees. _"Brother!" _He was at his brother's side in an instant, trying to at least help him sit up. "What's wrong, Megatron? What happened?" The former Decepticon leaned against his brother for support as he fought to regain his strength as fast as he could. "Well… That answers quite a few questions," he murmured softly. "Actually… it could answer everything." Holding his brother close, eyes bright with worry, Optimus asked, "What do you mean by that?" Recovering quickly, Megatron was soon able to stand back up on his own, a little shaky at first but rapidly regaining his strength. "A blast that intense along our link can only mean one thing… At some point she was able to transform. We know we're not looking for a human anymore; we're looking for one of us. And to my knowledge, there's only one place on this whole planet that Sector Seven could have taken her to; only one place where they could effectively contain one of us…" The look of utter fury that took shape on his face would have been chilling had the others not known that he was angry for Zephyr's sake. His next words held so much venom that they sounded as if they were the most vile, hateful expletive ever known in the galaxy at large… "They've taken her to the Hoover Dam."

Anger warred with relief as that sank in. Though they were all glad to know where they had to go to save her, the thought of where she had been taken disgusted them, and Bumblebee most of all. The memory of what Sector Seven had had done to the young Autobot was still fresh and raw in their minds even despite the fact that roughly six years had passed. And how could it not be? With lives that spanned eons, a mere six years was nothing to them, a momentary flicker of time. And to think that Sector Seven had once again seized one of their own, no, not just one of their own… Megatron's beloved and the mother of his child, Optimus's sister-in-law, a dear friend to all the rest… It was almost more than any of them could bear, though not a one could claim to be anywhere near as angry as Megatron himself in that moment. He knew what it was like to be their prisoner; knew it far better than even Bumblebee. After all, what was a few hours in comparison to almost a hundred years, more than the lifespan of several of their human friends? What was a few tests in comparison to the unending cold and pain of imprisonment in unyielding ice? He alone knew exactly what his beloved was surely experiencing, knew just how much pain a bunch of curious little humans could cause without even trying. Sensing his brother's swiftly growing impatience, Optimus rallied them all for immediate departure, their destination the facility each and every one of them hated more than anything.

Just as they had done in the early stages of their stay on Earth, they left California behind. However, unlike before, this time they headed south instead of north. Southeast, to be precise. Optimus had Megatron monitoring traffic conditions ahead and keeping an eye out for the police or anything else that could slow them down, though that was mostly to keep the former Decepticon from flying into any more of a rage than he already had. They all knew that none of them could possibly get there fast enough no matter how fast they went. No amount of speed could possibly be enough, so trying to hurry wouldn't really make all that much of a difference. Keeping that fact in mind, they took great care to abide by the speed limits on the highway, lest they draw the attention of the police and find themselves hampered by an even greater delay or even being stopped entirely. Megatron alone was unhampered by highway speed limits, but he held back and stayed with the others because he knew he couldn't possibly take on the whole of Sector Seven all by himself. No, if he was to stand a chance of rescuing Zephyr, he had to wait for the others to join him. Haste on his part would only doom her further, since it would be far from helpful for him to get captured as well, and he most certainly would if he tried to go alone.

Hours seemed to lengthen into an eternity as California's comparative lushness gave way to the magnificent reddish-hued desolation that was the Mojave Desert. Megatron would have marveled at the rocky vista had the situation not been so dire. They all would have. Finding the Colorado River's winding track, they followed it downstream as it roared and thundered, knowing that at some point the ribbon of restlessly churning water would lead them to where they ultimately wanted to go. In time they saw the grand vista of their goal laid out before them, a wall of smooth yellowish-brown stone stretching across the canyon the river had carved, an artificial cliff face of sun-baked rock shaped by human hands comparatively long ago to hide the greatest secrets their race had ever known… All save Megatron gazed upon it with a small measure of relief. The former Decepticon looked on with great hatred and even greater anger. They had finally reached the Hoover Dam.

Following a fairly narrow, winding path down to its base, down to where the river's white water cascaded down to continue on a diminished course, they thanked any and all deities that may have been listening for the fact that no one had noticed them yet. Coming up to the closed gate at the path's end, the Autobots came to a halt and transformed even as Megatron came in for a landing and did the same. "Well, here we are… The one place I had prayed never to see again," Megatron said in an uncertain tone, fidgeting nervously in a manner none of them had ever seen from him before. Looking to his brother, Optimus realized he had never even _considered_ the possibility that there was something even Megatron feared. None of them had. A moment later he was at the former Decepticon's side, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone this time, Brother."

Wasting no more time, they all got down to business, looking to Optimus for their orders. Even Megatron waited to be told what to do next. A moment's pause brought him the memory of the fact that he once would have preferred death to following the commands of another. _Taking commands from a friend is a lot better than commanding those who would just as soon be enemies, _he thought to himself. The first command wasn't long in coming. "Weapons out, everyone. We'll probably meet heavy resistance once we get inside." Ironhide whipped out the cannons he was so well known for as everyone else pulled out their chosen weapons. Stepping up to the closed gate, the two brothers worked together to pry and then force the double doors open. "Claw marks," Optimus said softly, spotting the gouges carved into the inner side of both doors. Megatron's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then she _has_ been here." A moment later the doors were flung wide open as they all stepped inside to meet the resistance they all knew they would surely encounter.

Megatron remembered the last time he had seen the passageway he and his colleagues were walking through at that very moment. Fresh from that icy nightmare, desperate to flee and see the sky again after so long, hungry for revenge on the cruel little creatures that had dared to use his misery for their own gain… He'd sensed the All Spark near and gone forth to claim it, but more than that he had just wanted to fly. No words had been able to describe the utter frustration he had felt at that time, the infuriating culmination of the whole war in his mind; thwarted again and again, sent forth on a maddening chase only to fail practically on top of his goal and spend years… _years_… locked in total paralysis with his prize _right in the next freaking room, _so close yet so far… He'd been fed up with it all, fed up to the point where he had thrown aside all strategy and planning in favor of immediately chasing his brother down to just _take_ the darn thing from his broken body, no matter how much death and destruction he would have had to cause in order to do so. Now here he was, here they all were, seemingly retracing the route he had taken that day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's where we start getting into some of the better stuff. A little less talk, and a lot more action.

Read and review, please!


	8. That took long enough

-1And now the part THEY'VE been waiting for…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The resistance they had encountered thus far barely counted as such in his mind as all six met force with force, proving that even despite human ingenuity they still had the edge. "We make a great team," Megatron said during a lull in the fighting. Everyone else nodded at that. They'd fought Decepticons and won, so what threat could humans pose? 'Pirated' technology was brought out and taken down with great efficiency as Sector Seven threw everything they had at them. Enemies or not, even Megatron took care to kill as few as possible whenever he could. Eventually the futile assault ended as their enemy simply ran out of firepower to use against them. The passageway swiftly cleared out as the Autobots pushed past the wreckage they had created, continuing toward their goal… another set of huge doors down at the end of said passageway. Stepping closer, Megatron gave a wry little smile as he saw the denting and warping he himself had left behind as he broke free through those selfsame doors. "We're very nearly there," he said with no small amount of satisfaction. "I passed this way myself, once." As they had done at the entrance, Optimus stepped forward to help his brother pry the doors open, followed quickly by the others as said doors proved to be quite a bit tougher to open than the others had been.

Trying to peek through the doors even as they opened, Megatron's eyes widened as he saw what lay beyond. "Zephyr…" And indeed, there she was. All of them stared at where a web of scaffolding and wires held her ice-coated body in a standing position, eyes dark and face frozen in an expression of desperate, pleading horror. "Just like they did to me," Megatron murmured in a mixture of stark horror and the black rage he had known in the bleakest depths of the war. He had known deep down what he would see, but that didn't make the sight any easier on him. Given additional strength by the horror he felt, he flung the doors wide and was the first one in as they entered. Striding closer to her frigid prison, his claws flexed agitatedly as he began to circle, looking for a way to free her. "I'm here now, Zephyr, it's all right…" Optimus was by his side in an instant, beginning to pull away the wires that held her. Taking his brother's cue, Megatron used his powerful claws to rip and tear at the scaffolding that dared to imprison his beloved. "Be ready to catch her if she falls," Optimus advised. A quick nod was all the response he got, and he needed no more.

As the last of the scaffolding came away, the only warning either of them got was the soft sound of cracking ice as, released from the supports that had previously held her in a standing position, Zephyr's frozen body toppled straight into Megatron's arms. To his credit, he only stumbled slightly as he caught her in an embrace. Still out cold, her head rested against his shoulder as he eased her limp body to the ground, laying her on her back and making her as comfortable as possible even though she obviously couldn't feel it at that point. She would be comfortable when she awoke, and that was what mattered. Once he had done so, he immediately looked to Ratchet. Not a word needed to be spoken as the medic stepped closer and knelt, getting to work on repairing the damage Sector Seven had left behind. Anger mixed with equal parts disgust and horror as they all became aware of the exact nature of the damage to her chest. "They went after her spark chamber…"

Megatron barely waited for Ratchet to finish before he took her in his arms and held her close, cradling her against his chest and praying the warmth of his embrace would chase away the last lingering remnants of the ice and cold that had held her mind and body in its grip. He couldn't believe they'd done this to her… He had thought he would have been the only one they would dare do such a thing to, and that only because they didn't know who he was! How could they knowingly cause such pain and suffering to a being they had to know was just as alive and aware as they were? Thoughts of revenge whirled through his mind before he tried to banish them. "How _dare_ they treat her so shamefully…"

All thoughts of revenge left his mind as the body in his arms stirred slightly and gave a soft groan. "…Zephyr?" Murmuring softly, she gave a slow, lazy stretch, only to start slightly as she felt herself encircled by a gentle embrace. Waking up a little more, she opened her eyes and looked up at the smiling face of the one she had longed for more than anything. "Megatron," she said softly, weakly trying to reach up to return his embrace. Seeing that, he shook his head slightly. "Just rest, my darling. Sleep. I'll still be here when you awaken; I swear it." Smiling faintly, she snuggled up a little closer to him and yawned softly. A moment later she was sound asleep in his arms, a small smile on her face. The link they shared poured her tiredness into his mind to mingle with his own, and so he wasn't all that surprised to find himself yawning as well. "I suppose it's been a long day for both of us." Off to the side, Optimus chose that moment to speak up. "Indeed it has. This whole ordeal has been far harder on you than it has been for any of us. You should sleep too, Megatron. After all, didn't you yourself just say you weren't going anywhere?" Taking his brother's advice, he gently shifted Zephyr off his lap so he could then lie down beside her and snuggle up close, wrapping his arms around her and laying his head against her shoulder. A moment later he too was sound asleep, resting peacefully in the arms of his beloved.

Optimus smiled at the sight of the two lovers snuggling on the floor. His brother was finally getting some decent rest. It had been a real chore getting him to go sleep while they had been searching for her, and even when he did his dreams were full of turmoil, nightmares about what he had been sure she was going through, preventing him from sleeping well. Ironhide fidgeted a bit, feeling as if he was intruding upon an intimate moment, then turned to leave the room, intending to stand guard over the area in general. Bumblebee just couldn't bear to look at the scene laid out before him. Had he been human, he would have blushed at the sight. Ratchet smiled at the sight of both of his patients napping quietly. Looking around, Optimus spotted a tarp stretched out over a very large stack of pipes used for maintenance of the dam itself and had an idea. Stepping closer, he pulled the tarp off the pipes it had been covering before dragging it over to spread it out over the two lovers where they lay, using it as a makeshift blanket in an attempt to keep them both warm as they napped on the cold, damp floor of the facility she had been stored in. Warm and safe, together again at last, Megatron and Zephyr slept on.

Megatron stirred slightly with a soft, troubled murmur. Even Zephyr's presence couldn't fully soothe him as he dreamed of the last time he had seen the room in which they both rested. The anger and desperation he'd felt hadn't kept him from remembering the faces of the comparatively helpless humans, civilians all, who had been unfortunate enough to get in his way as he finally broke free. He had known of how short the lives of the puny little humans had been, had been aware that the ones responsible for imprisoning him were long dead. Aside from himself, none had still lived who could remember the time when he had been imprisoned. No, none of the humans he had faced had even been born yet at that time, and in some cases their parents hadn't been born yet. He had never been one to believe in inherited guilt, but that thought had been secondary to just getting _out_ of there. And besides… The war he himself had started had stretched for uncountable eons, longer than the life of the species that had imprisoned him and the very planet they called home, but that almost unimaginable length of time and the multitudinous battles he had fought still had yet to render him cynical enough to be fully impervious to its horrors. His own men had considered him almost evil incarnate, but there had been a part of him, a part he'd kept hidden deep down in the core of his spark, that had always hated the thought of harming innocents, of killing civilians who had committed no crime against him. Even during the earliest days of the war, before the conflict had spread to encompass the stars themselves, he had despised the thought of attacking civilian targets, especially when children were involved. He himself had never issued such an order, though a few of his higher-ranking subordinates had done so in his stead. He'd never been able to directly countermand such orders for fear of being perceived as 'weak', since such a stigma would certainly have led to his being overthrown if not killed outright. It wasn't as if Starscream had needed the excuse, and most of the rest would have relished the opportunity to get rid of him. About all he had been able to do in that regard was refuse to participate in attacks on civilian targets, mostly on the basis of being certain that his subordinates could handle such things without him. He'd had _some_ standards, after all. The Autobots, for their part, had always believed such things had been done under his orders, and in all likelihood the assertion that no civilian had perished at his hands would have been called an outright lie.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is that a cute image or what?

Read and review, please!


	9. False start

-1Here's the next bit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't really morning when the two finally awakened, but it might as well have been for all it mattered. Megatron woke up first, awakened by the feeling of Zephyr snuggling up closer. His answering embrace awakened her in return and she spent a moment trembling like a frightened child freshly awakened from a nightmare before latching on to him and trying not to burst into tears. "I was so scared," she whimpered, remembering all the pain and terror she had experienced while locked in ice. Drawing her closer, he let her lay her head against his chest. "It's all right," he murmured soothingly. "It's over now." The bond they shared thrummed with his reassurances that he knew how she felt at that moment. He'd been there before as well, lost and trapped, Sector Seven's captive for decades. She wasn't alone like he had been, with no one to seek comfort from. He was there for her.

Ratchet chose that particular moment to peek in. "Ah, so you're awake now. Good." His arrival drew a cheery hello from Zephyr, which in turn elicited a smile from a greatly relieved Megatron. It was a good sign that she was acting so upbeat so soon after the trauma of being Sector Seven's prisoner. Stepping in, the medic held out a pair of containers, one in each hand, for the two to take. "Drink this before you both pass out." Both Zephyr and Megatron accepted without hesitation. Megatron drank his without a word, but Zephyr spoke up after taking only one sip. _"This stuff's alcohol!" _Ratchet shook his head. "No, this is ethanol. Evidently humans have been doing better with natural fuels." Zephyr chuckled at the thought. "Heh, ethanol is still alcohol, though. 'Drink this before I pass out,' you say? I may very well pass out anyway!" There was a long pause as she drank some more. "I'd be lying if I said this stuff didn't go down smooth, though. Just like my grandfather… that's the father of my father if you're wondering… said the good stuff is supposed to. Anyway, I'm blaming _you_ if I get horrendously drunk off this stuff, all right?" Ratchet only shrugged at that semi-serious statement. "And _I'd_ be lying if I said 'getting drunk' was something only humans did." Megatron, for his part, merely chuckled to himself at the humorous (to him) exchange between his beloved and the Autobot medic. He was no stranger to intoxicants himself. "Don't worry about it, Zephyr. Ratchet knows his portions well, and has given us both no more than we need. This amount won't affect you adversely or 'get you drunk', if you're wondering." She smiled at him in relief upon hearing that. "Good to hear. I'd rather not lose my inhibitions in this hole, thank you very much. When can we leave?" As soon as that question was spoken, she immediately switched to drinking her portion. The moment of silence that act created allowed Ratchet to answer said question. "We're staying here until you're fully better, no matter how much the two of you may hate it here. It's not like the rest of us like this place much either." A momentary look of unhappiness crossed Zephyr's face, mirrored by an identical expression on Megatron's face. To say that they hated being stuck in the Hoover Dam was a _severe_ understatement. Angry at the prospect as the former Decepticon was, it was his mate that spoke up first. "Great, even _more_ time spent stuck in this loony bin? _Oh heck no! _I'd rather have my spark torn out through my tailpipe than stay in here an instant longer than I absolutely have to!" Growling at the very prospect, she tried to force herself to her feet, fully intending to immediately walk out of there, only to waver dangerously before practically falling right on her face. She would have done just that had Megatron not been there to catch her. "Zephyr, please, you have to rest…" Undaunted, she tried to pull free and make a second attempt at getting up even as he tried to stop her by pulling her close. "_Please, _Zephyr…" Looking up at Ratchet, Megatron gave a brief little nod, not speaking a word. That slight nod was all the warning that was given… At least until Zephyr let out a soft gasp upon feeling a needle slide into her arm. "Hey, _what the_…" She abruptly sagged in Megatron's arms as her strength swiftly drained away with consciousness not too far behind, dimming eyes fixing on where Ratchet now stood over her. "You're getting your rest, Zephyr. Even if I have to sedate you… which I think you can guess is what I just did." Smiling down at her sadly, a bit apologetic for his complacency in all this, Megatron eased her back down, once again cradling her sleeping body in his arms.

Drugged into insensibility or not, the next few hours were filled with nightmares on her part, and understandably so. It had barely been two days since her rescue, after all, and they were still right where her torment had taken place. The link, silenced by the drugs Ratchet had given her, didn't force Megatron to see her nightmares, but he didn't have to see much of anything to know exactly what she was dreaming about. Being in that place was forcing him to remember what had been done to him as well. He still refused to leave her side, even though his own memories were haunting him just as much as the thought of what she had been put through. He longed to go outside, to at least see the sky, but instead he chose to stay where he was, to face his memories and fears, and hers as well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This story is nearing its end, and I can't begin the next installment until TF 2 comes out. That's three freaking months! What the heck am I supposed to do between the end of this story and that time?!

Read and review, and give me some ideas on how to fill that time. I'm dying here.


	10. Crosseyed and painless

-1What, you thought being back in the Hoover Dam AGAIN for a long period of time would be easy on him?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seeing how hard the next few hours were on his brother, Optimus would have urged him to leave his beloved's side for his sanity's sake if he hadn't already known what the response would be. Each passing moment seemed to see him holding her a little closer, curling up a little tighter, shivering a little more and whimpering a little louder. It had always been an accepted truth that all who were blessed with the ability to fly had that asset balanced out by the curse of claustrophobia, but Optimus had never once considered the possibility that even the seemingly fearless leader of the Decepticons was susceptible to such things. But now, watching Megatron shiver, he realized he was. And wasn't ten thousand years of imprisonment in ice enough to make anyone claustrophobic, especially when coupled with the near-constant torture of being experimented on?

Zephyr went from a deep sleep to a light doze, only to be awakened fully by the sensation of slight shaking. Opening her eyes, she looked up and realized that Megatron was holding her close and shuddering, actually _shuddering._ "For crying out loud," she said as she sat up, "Which of us is having a harder time of this?" Sputtering a little, as if finally realizing how utterly freaked-out he was acting, Megatron swiftly composed himself. "I… uh… well, that is…" Zephyr only smiled. It was nice to see that he didn't feel the need to put on a brave face for her. That boded well for her chances of getting out soon, in her mind. It would take a serious problem for him to be anything but honest with her. "You should be able to leave soon," he said after finally managing to compose himself. Pulling away from him a bit, she smiled brightly at the news, then frowned. "You don't have to stay here the whole time, you know. I'll be perfectly fine. After all, you guys trashed Sector Seven just by coming in here. Who can threaten me now?" His mind already made up, he shook his head. "I'm staying right here. I don't want to leave you again after so long apart. There'll be time enough for other concerns later. You're here, I'm here too, and right now that's good enough for me, claustrophobia or not." Zephyr shook her head with a sigh. "I see. Then I suppose I'll just have to _distract_ you," she said as she moved closer, giving him a sweet little smile. It took him a moment to get it together enough to make a coherent reply. "I'll do it on one condition." Taken slightly aback by this, she gave him a confused look. "And just what would that condition be?" He grinned. "I get to do the same." She returned his grin and moved closer. "Fair enough. And now that we're in agreement…"

Off to the side, Optimus felt his jaw drop as he realized what he was about to witness. It took some mental screaming at himself to get his legs to work, but he managed to turn around and flat-out _run_ out of the room like a frightened child. The thought crossed his mind that he, who had seen a thousand battles and faced them all without fear, was fleeing the scene of what most definitely _wasn't_ a battle, but his main concern was getting out of that room as fast as his legs could take him. Practically tripping through the doorway in his haste, he flung the door shut with an almighty slam, then leaned against it as if trying to hold it shut, panting the whole time. A moment later he looked up and noticed Ratchet giving him what could only be described as the mother of all weird looks. "Do _not_ go in there," he tried to explain. "Seriously, just don't." Ratchet didn't even pause. "Nonsense," he said. "Now scoot over. I've got a patient to check up on." Knowing better than to anger the medic, Optimus obediently moved aside. "I still think you shouldn't go in there…" Ratchet said nothing in reply, merely moving to the door and opening it wide. As Optimus watched, the medic simply stood and stared rather than stepping in. "I didn't even think that was possible, much less that she could do that," he murmured to himself. A long moment later, he closed the door and turned away. "…She's fine," he said.

It was roughly half an hour before Megatron emerged, armor steaming, chest covered with scratches, stumbling dizzily and wearing the biggest smile his brother had seen from him in quite some time. "_You_ look like you've had a good time," Optimus said. Megatron nodded vehemently, leaning against the wall. "My beloved has… many talents." Shaking his head to get rid of any and all bad images that statement threatened to conjure up, the Autobot leader chuckled. "You two successfully managed to scare Ratchet off with your antics back there. I never thought I'd live to see the day _that_ happened. Let me tell you, the look on his face…" Megatron laughed at that. "Thanks for the mental image, brother." A long moment of silence passed between them before Optimus dared what he saw as a sensitive question. "So does she… every time?" Megatron shook his head. "No, thank goodness. If she did, I'd fritz. Wouldn't even be able to stand up, let alone be Lord High Protector."

As luck would have it, Ironhide chose that moment to walk in. "Look who I found!" Holding out his hand for the two of them to see, he revealed that he was holding a very irate Agent Simmons. Megatron's good mood immediately vanished upon seeing him. "You…" His voice was low as he stepped forward to take the captive from Ironhide, curling his claws around him as he raised him up to his eye level. "I despise you for what you did to my mate, and I would very much like to crush you for the pain you have caused us both." Simmons gave an undignified yelp as Megatron's grip tightened slightly, and Optimus chose that moment to step forward in case his brother was planning on carrying out his threat. "Count yourself lucky that my days of doing such things are behind me." He relaxed his grip slightly. "My mate returned to your planet because she wanted to visit old friends, not because she wanted to cause any form of trouble. And you abducted her… imprisoned her just like you did to me. Well, know _this:_ If you do this again, abduct any member of our species for experimentation, it will be taken as an act of war against our species as a whole, with all the… _unpleasantness_ that entails. Do you understand?" The agent tried to voice a protest, only to have the angry former Decepticon cut him off. "I said, do you understand? _Speak, human!_" The last words were flat-out _snarled._ There was no hesitation as Simmons shut up and nodded rapidly. He understood perfectly. "Then I believe I've made my point," Megatron said dismissively as he handed the captive agent back to Ironhide and turned away, calmly walking back to where his brother stood.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seriously, HELP ME! I need something to span the two or three months between the end of this story and TF 2 coming out!

Read and review, please!


	11. You and I, the world

Sorry I took so long. I hope this update makes up for it at least a little.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zephyr's recovery proceeded swiftly after that, and in no time flat they were ready to begin the long trip home. No words could express her joy as they stepped out into the sun. How long had it been since she had last seen the sky, much less flown? She quietly basked in the sun as Optimus and the others prepared for departure, savoring the moment as much as it was possible to do and sharing her enthusiasm with Megatron, who was just plain happy to get out of the Hoover Dam. The two of them didn't have to plan much of anything, since they wouldn't need to deal with traffic because they'd be flying. Her savoring the moment soon shifted to somewhat childish impatience. She wanted to get going, to just fly already. What was there to plan out?

The first thing she noticed once they finally got going was that both she and Megatron were significantly faster than their earthbound friends… almost ridiculously so. At the rate they were capable of traveling, the two of them would be able to make a round trip between the Hoover Dam and Mission City several times in the time it would take the rest to just get to Mission City in the first place. The way she saw it, the pair had two choices; go on ahead and then wait for the others or just fly very slowly. "This is going to be a boring trip," she said to herself. She only realized she had spoken out loud when Megatron answered her. "On the contrary, it gives us time to do as we please while they make the trip. Before you ask, I already spoke with Optimus about this, so there's no need to worry about asking for permission or alarming anybody by just leaving suddenly. So what do you say? Shall we?" The only response he got was a sudden sense of mischief along their bond… at least until she rocketed skyward, daring him to follow, which he did.

They dove and spiraled over and through the clouds on the Earth's night side, heedless of the landscape beneath them that glittered like a patchwork of stars that almost mirrored the heavens, following the intricate steps of an ancient dance previously known only to Seekers. Sometimes he would chase her, sometimes she would chase him. If anyone saw the two of them in the night sky, they would surely have marveled at what they saw, deeming the two of them flying saucers at play in the heavens. As they passed over the most desolate parts of Africa, where tribes still held to the ancient ways, Zephyr wondered how many tribal mythologies would change because of this night. She remembered certain creation legends that spoke of gods descending from the sky, of chariots seemingly sculpted from solidified flame, and wondered if perhaps Megatron's people… now her own… had possibly visited Earth in the past and given rise to such stories.

They flew fuselage to fuselage through a raging thunderstorm over India's green expanse; a storm that would soon become one of the famously devastating monsoons she had read so much about as a child, tendrils of lightning crackling between their wings as energy and pleasant sensations cascaded from one to the other and back again as they spiraled around each other again and again. Sometimes mere inches apart, sometimes brushing wingtips, they performed aerial maneuvers no sane pilot could ever dream of, much less try to pull off. At times they rose above the storm to where the sun shone unbelievably bright upon a swirl of clouds that resembled droplets of cream poured into a cup of coffee, and sometimes they descended to just above treetop level where raging winds slashed the rainforest's uppermost canopy into green, leafy ribbons beneath cascades of rain.

Alighting for a bit of a rest, they walked side by side through the majestic mountain ranges of New Zealand, Megatron amazed by the fact that such wonders could exist with no one to create them and Zephyr relating the story told in 'Lord of the Rings', concentrating on the tale's allegory on the nature of power and its tendency to corrupt those who held it. It was amazing, in his mind, that such a young race, so seemingly primitive and with such short little lives could know so much about so many things his species was actually comparatively new to… at least until she told him of human history, seemingly just one war after another. No wonder the humans had trounced his Decepticon comrades, in his mind. If there was one thing humans were good at, it was fighting.

They then flew to Hawaii, where they watched the perpetual eruption of the island chain's main volcano while she explained the natural processes that took place within the planet itself, further amazing him with the fact that such complex processes seemingly needed no outside force to guide them. In a way, the planet seemed as though it was alive, though not in the same way they had all recently learned his home was as she spoke to him of such things as plate tectonics and the recycling of material from the continental plates. It had amazed him to learn of earthquakes, for such things simply didn't happen where he was from. He found it a terrifying prospect, the very ground beneath his feet turning against him and shaking everything to pieces. Molten rock spewing to the heavens… previously solid ground turning traitor underfoot… destructive atmospheric phenomena such as hurricanes… All his doubt of humankind's bravery vanished at the realization that they could flourish as they had even as the _planet_ tried to kill them.

Rising far higher than any normal jet could ever hope to try, they dipped in and out of the planet's atmosphere over and over again, swirled scraps of freezing gases trailing from their wingtips like the tattered wisps of a wind-blown cloud on a spring day. Earth's atmosphere was far thicker than Megatron was used to, previously knowing only the skies of his world, and he was still getting used to the difference, even though this was the second or third time he'd passed completely through it. The first time had been a disaster, he remembered, the crash that had started it all, but for once he couldn't argue with the results. If he'd never crashed, the whole chain of events that had led to his meeting Sarah would never have happened. He'd have gotten the All Spark that day, and lived out the rest of his days in a blur of conquest-happy comparative misery.

They transformed to merge sparks in low Earth orbit, the sheer power lent by the All Spark's presence within Zephyr generating a brilliant flash of blue light that astronomers all over the world would debate heatedly for decades to come. In its wake she chuckled, wondering how many minds she'd just blown down on Earth. How big a mystery had she just given rise to, given the fact that the flash she had just generated would have been highly visible to the naked eye from the ground all over the planet, even on the day side? She paused. Scientists, she knew, were always happiest when they had something to research and wonder about, and science could bridge all cultures. It was for the good of all humankind, she told herself. Deciding to _really_ give them something to talk about, she went in for another round with the generation of a second, larger flash in mind.

Orbiting side by side, they took in a sunrise together, watching the edges of the planet's atmosphere refracted the sunlight into a thousand tiny little rainbows, and successfully resisted the urge to buzz the International Space Station for kicks as its own orbital path brought it into their view. At first he scoffed at the sight of it, such a clumsy, clunky thing cobbled together from so many dissimilar parts… At least until Zephyr swatted him. He was looking at her former race's best hope for peace, in her mind. Where his world, now hers as well, had been split in two between Autobots and Decepticons, Earth was, had always been splintered into literally thousands of separate factions divided by all sorts of things he could barely comprehend. What he _could_ comprehend, however, was the need to find common ground, a dream they could all agree on and rally around.

Soaring higher still, their next stop was the moon, an almost ethereal vision painted in ten thousand shades of gray, where they watched the Earth rise in silence over the cratered plain before Zephyr showed a somewhat confused and thoroughly not-getting-it Megatron how to make dust angels that would surely give some poor astronaut a serious fright someday. They pelted each other with moon rocks for a short while, introducing him to the concept of snowball fights, before she walked with him to the sites of several moon landings, Apollo 11 in particular because it was the first. Stooping down, she picked up the flag the astronauts had planted only to be blown down by the force of their departure, and stood it up again. Much better, in her mind. Some lingering sentimentality made her pause at the plaque they had left behind, kneeling to wipe it clean of any dust that marred its surface. How many dreams had been born from that day! It had been long before her birth, a great journey undertaken for the pettiest of reasons but no less grand for what had started it. She'd loved reading about astronomy as a child, daydreaming about alien life on alien worlds… She looked to the one she now called her mate, for a moment allowing her inner child to marvel at the joy she had found through passing beyond all human knowledge. She'd dreamed of someday seeing a spaceship capable of traveling between stars, and now she _was_ one. It was then that she made a promise to herself. Someday, maybe in ten years, or twenty, perhaps fifty, a hundred at the most… Someday she herself would pioneer an alliance between both the worlds she had called home, or at least sneak them the schematics for a propulsion system that would allow for feasible, even practical travel between stars. She owed the world that had given her birth _that_ much, at least.

Heat and friction turned the two of them into a pair of brilliant red-orange falling stars as they reentered the planet's atmosphere from a trajectory nearer the equator at Megatron's insistence, Zephyr whooping unashamedly as they went, thinking of how many so-called 'extreme sports' the pair were putting to shame. Veering left in an arc over parts of Texas, then bearing right over the Indian Ocean, she tried to mimic the maneuvers undertaken by the space shuttle as it did as they were now doing. She found herself sparing a moment of concern for her heat shields and those of her beloved as she realized they were seemingly retracing the path taken by the ill-fated Columbia, before mentally slapping herself for forgetting that she and her mate were constructed from alloys far stronger than any space shuttle. No clumsy ceramics there, just technology tweaked and improved over and over again for eons beyond all human conception. If they'd had those alloys that day…

Megatron led her to an isolated beach in Newfoundland, the very place where he had first come ashore after crawling out of the sea… and soon the beach was veiled in steam as they bathed in the crashing surf, cooling down from reentry. He demonstrated a little reluctance at the idea of wading out into deeper water, as the chill of wind and water put him in mind of dark things he thought were best forgotten. Returning to his side, she sat beside him on the beach to let the sun evaporate what little water still clung to their metal bodies. It was a quiet moment. Nothing to worry about… No one to bother them…

Their return from their little outing was well-timed, as they landed just as the convoy of Autobots pulled into the city, heading for the fairly isolated grassy hill they had all come to think of as their preferred hang-out. "Hello, brother," Optimus called out to the sky. Megatron returned the cheerful greeting even as he touched down and transformed, perfectly synchronized with the equally happy Zephyr. The other Autobots had already transformed to sit down and relax in the safe, secluded spot they had chosen… except for Jazz, who had opted for a quick nap in car form instead. "We all had a talk on the way here, and we've decided that we need a break. We will be staying here for a few days instead of just heading straight to our old base to use the space bridge to get home." Even Megatron was hard-pressed to argue with that logic. "You know, a break sounds pretty good about now…" Zephyr nodded at that. "I initially came here for a vacation. Now I need a vacation… _from_ my vacation. How utterly… uh… is there even a word for this? Exasperating? Ironic? …_Stupid?_" Megatron chuckled at that. "Personally, I'd go with all of the above. But, then again, that's probably just me." Shrugging, she had only one thing to say to that. "Either way, I'd say _he_ has the right idea at this point," she said, pointing at Jazz. Megatron nodded, suppressing a quiet yawn. "Indeed he does. A bit of rest would be quite nice at this point." A moment later, two jets, one a gleaming, burnished chrome and the other an impossibly glossy black trimmed with electric blue, rested side by side on the grass, quietly snoring in near-perfect unison.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LOOKING FOR SOME HELP HERE! SERIOUSLY! This story's near an end and the next real installment can't begin until TF 2 comes out. What am I supposed to do in the meantime? I can't just leave you folks hanging…

Read and review, please!


	12. Sam makes a friend?

Sorry this took so long… I had to figure out how to word this part.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Bumblebee brought Sam to visit, with Laserbeak riding on his shoulder as the pigeon-sized pterodactyl had obviously taken to doing. Megatron and Zephyr shared a short yet meaningful glance before moving off to the side, well away from the rest, so as to not agitate the lad, who they both believed still had every right to fear Megatron and anyone resembling him even after the passage of so many years. Though the amount of time that had passed was nothing to Megatron and his kin, Zephyr had explained to the lot of them that the human perception of time's passage was far different from theirs. He tried to explain to her that she could simply transform and join the rest, socializing in her human form, but she would have none of it. She barely knew the boy, having met him only once. Not to mention the fact that Megatron would be left by himself if she did.

As Sam chatted about old times with his friends, he couldn't help but occasionally glance toward the pair where they sat side by side, arm in arm in a fashion that seemed entirely too human to him until he remembered that one of the two had started out as a human. He couldn't believe that he was looking at the one who had menaced him and threatened him and his whole race with death. Looking at him now… Watching him laugh in honest happiness as he embraced the one who obviously meant everything to him… Sam could feel his fear dying. "Wow," he said to himself. "He really loves her." Quiet as that realization was, it was heard. "Indeed he does," Optimus answered. "She's the best thing that ever happened to him, to hear him tell it, and I'm somewhat inclined to agree with his assessment given the effect she's had on him. I've never seen him this happy and content before, even before the war started. He spent eons thinking he would be happy if he had the All Spark and conquered everything, but all he really needed was her and his son…" Sam abruptly stared up at the Autobot leader. "Son? He has a _son?_" A moment later, he shook his head to rid himself of the mental images of little versions of the former Decepticon leader scampering around and acting like their 'daddy'. And he thought _he'd_ been bad as a child! Seemingly oblivious to this, Optimus continued to speak. "Since Megatron is my brother… younger brother, to be precise… that would make me what you humans term an uncle." But Sam was mentally a million miles away as he continued to watch the two, feeling his fear of the silver Decepticon swiftly die. The cruelty and malice was gone from his face, from his eyes… The hellfire that had haunted his nightmares was replaced with a warm, almost soothing glow. He really had changed, keeping his distance for the sake of the young human he had once threatened with death.

At that moment, Sam came to a decision. Carefully hopping to the ground, he walked over to where the two still sat, oblivious to his presence, and laid a hand on the comparatively colossal silver leg of the one being he had once feared above all else. Megatron's startled jump was almost human in its sincerity as he swiftly looked down to regard the small human with an expression of utter shock. Following a perfectly understandable knee-jerk reaction of momentary fright, Sam managed a wan yet sincere smile. "Aren't you two getting lonely just sitting over here all by yourselves? Come join the rest of us. There's plenty of room over here, after all." Completely thrown for a loop, Megatron shot his brother a look of complete surprise. Smiling warmly, Optimus gave an encouraging nod in return. The former Decepticon, for his part, was unsure of what to make of any of this. "I… uh… thank you?" Standing up, Zephyr grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, then proceeded to drag him over to the rest, completely unresisting all the way. "_Come on, _you." Sam had to hold back the urge to laugh at this display as the disconcerted Megatron stumbled along behind her. A moment later, he followed the two. A few moments after that, all three were seated with the rest and swapping stories too.

The conversation stretched through the rest of the day and deep into the evening. The last crimson sliver of the setting sun had sunk below the tree-lined horizon amid a cascade of pink and gold and the first of what few pale stars could pierce the fiery orange haze of the nearby city's nighttime lighting were beginning to shine through the slowly deepening blue of the night sky as the lively chat began to wind down. Much as Sam loathed the idea of leaving his friends again after so long apart and such a short reunion, it was time for him to go home. He had a regular life to go back to, so he reluctantly prepared to leavewith Bumblebee escorting him as he always did, Laserbeak once again going along for the ride. Though the war was long over, there was always the risk of a disgruntled Decepticon or two deciding to take out their lingering frustrations on the human who had defeated their leader and seemingly induced his defection from the cause he himself had pioneered and spent so much time fighting and killing for, had destroyed so much for…

As the trio prepared to head out, Megatron unexpectedly stood up. "Wait a minute, if you don't mind. I… have something I want to say to Sam." Sam paused. It was extremely weird to him to hear the Decepticon leader speak his name instead of just calling him 'boy' as he had that day. He managed to keep his nervousness to a minimum as Megatron slowly walked over and knelt down until they were pretty much face to face, one huge clawed hand gently brushing against his shoulder in what he guessed was supposed to be a friendly gesture. "Sam." The gruff voice he had feared held a note of softness. "I… just wanted to thank you for what you did that day." This took him aback. "You want to _thank_ me for defeating you and darn near killing you? …For denying you your prize?" He was sure his words would anger the silver titan, but Megatron only smiled. "I was angry at first, yes… But your deed was the reason I met _her,_" he said, casting a meaningful glance toward where Zephyr stood. "Besides, I had no intention of killing you." Sam nodded. "You _did_ say you were going to make you my pet." Megatron shook his head. "Not really… That was just the only way I could think of to put it at that point. Which brings me to the _other_ thing I wanted to say to you." There was a short pause. "All you humans impressed me with your bravery that day. Your species is so small and fragile, yet you fought without fear. But you, Sam… _You_ impressed me the most. That was why I planned to spare you. You earned my respect, and in so doing you earned the right to be allowed to live, no matter which side won. Decepticons have at least _that_ much honor, though I'll admit that's about all of it." Sam looked thoughtful as that statement sank in. "You seemed pretty hot to kill me right before I used the All Spark on you, though." There was a sharp clang as metal hand met metal faceplate once Megatron heard that. "Oh, for the love of… That was _after_ falling off the building… and landing on my head!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One more chapter, maybe, and then the epilogue. I hope this is enough to hold everybody over until TF2...


	13. Almost homeward bound

Here it is, folks… The last real chapter of 'In Memory Lost'.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Traveling by night was best for the two jets; that much was taken as a fact. Megatron had attracted enough local attention during the search for Sarah, so having Zephyr's alien form join the silver warplane that had already plagued Mission City's skies for far too long would only cause more problems. The rest would begin the journey back to their old base in the morning. Megatron objected to this at first. "Given our flight speed _and_ our early start, we'll likely be there by ourselves for half a day, if not a whole one. What are we supposed to do then, sit around and wait?" Optimus prepared to voice a reply to that statement, but Zephyr saved him the trouble. "That just serves to give us some, shall we say, relaxation time," she said with a mischievous grin, reaching up to stroke one of the broad wing panels that formed his upper back. His eyes dimmed as he leaned into the touch ever so slightly, groaning softly as she teased the sensitive circuitry that lined his wings. "I… see what you mean," he eventually managed, voice thick with pleasure and sheer, raw _need. _Stepping up behind the thoroughly surprised Optimus, Ratchet gave them a look that mixed equal parts disgust and exasperation. "_Get a room, _you two! I swear to Primus, you're worse than a pair of bored Seekers!" The two quickly stepped apart and composed themselves, thoroughly embarrassed. A second look of utter mischief took shape on Zephyr's face a moment later. "I'll bet I can fly faster than you," she challenged. The halfhearted look of almost-anger that crossed his face held the slightest hint of his old self as he took her words in, then burst out laughing. "Oh really? Unless you're secretly a Seeker, I really doubt it!" She chuckled teasingly as she leapt up and transformed, igniting her thrusters and rocketing skyward. "Catch me if you can!" A split second passed before he did the same. "I'm going to fly circles around you for this!" Laughter trailed behind them both as the two jets set the heavens alight with their passing.

Unlike their airborne friends, the rest of the Autobots waited until dawn to start the journey home. The early morning traffic was minimal at most, so they had little trouble getting out of the immediate city area. The slow passage of hours saw the amount of traffic increase until the highway they traveled on bustled with activity. Having no need to stop for anything, they just rolled right on through, past farms and homes alike, past sweeping vistas of wide grassy plains and tall trees alike, through suburbs dotted with smallish houses of varying colors where children ran and played like the little ones back on their faraway world, whom Zephyr's power had allowed to be born. The sun climbed higher in the sky as time passed, wispy clouds tracing delicate paths across its golden disk and casting almost ethereal shadows upon the roads and the multitudinous vehicles zipping across them. As midday slipped into afternoon on its way toward evening, the streets began to clear out again. Was it because of the day's imminent end, or because they were getting toward a less-populated area? Indeed, there was less and less sign of human habitation with each passing mile, houses and buildings giving way to deep forests and ill-kept roadways. Still they pressed onward until the sounds of other cars died away into the seemingly infinite silence associated with the remotest of areas, even as paved roads gave way to gravel and then dirt paths which bogged them down ever so slightly. The ancient trees stood as silent sentinels as the terrain began to become familiar to them, until the forest opened into the narrow valley they had all once known so well…

The convoy pulled up and transformed as both Megatron and Zephyr walked out, smiling, to greet them. They showed no hint of having been impatient for their arrival, and Optimus had a feeling he knew why. He could see the languid looseness of his brother's movements, the utter contentment that almost seemed to radiate from him. Yes, he had a feeling he knew _exactly_ what the two had done to pass the time as they waited for the rest to come. It was then that Megatron spoke up. "We've hit another delay," he said. "You know how Zephyr told us that this planet tends to reclaim structures and objects left unattended for too long? Well, that's what happened to the space bridge. We're going to have to repair it and clean it before we can use it… unless you fancy the idea of a cosmic road trip. Looks like we've got a few more days ahead of us before we can go home." Optimus sighed. Another delay. It seemed like they were running into a lot of them lately.

Upon entering their old base, it took only a few seconds for the lot of them to see how much things had gone to seed, so to speak. Tawny-hued grasses sprouted from between the tiles on the floor, pushing them aside as they grew, and ferns uncurled their dangling tendrils from the ceiling. Here and there a deer grazed upon saplings growing from the mossy walls, or a rabbit took fright and fled deeper in. The base's main computer was an utter wreck from the plant and animal life that had taken up residence. Mice nested amid wires frayed by gnawing, feeding upon the seeds of the grasses that had taken root there as well. "It'll be a miracle if _anything_ works at this rate," Ratchet huffed. Zephyr just shrugged, not surprised in the slightest. She'd been expecting this from the moment they left, assuming they would ever need to return. That was just the way organic life was.

The first order of business went without saying. Everyone went to clean out their quarters well enough to at least get a decent night's rest. The space bridge would wait until the next day. Zephyr and Megatron, however, didn't have to do much of anything. Megatron had already cleaned out his quarters while the two waited for the rest to come, and Zephyr would be sharing a bed with him. None of them were really surprised when the two retired to their shared room early, though they _did_ wish they could voluntarily switch off their hearing capabilities at the sounds that followed shortly after. "It's a wonder Galvie doesn't have any siblings, given how those two go at each other," Ratchet grumbled, shaking his head. "Worse than a pair of bored Seekers, just like I said before."

Morning saw the group assemble in the commons room as they had done so many times during the war. Wasting no time, they exited the base and made the short little hike to where the space bridge still lay. "…It's still in pretty good shape," Zephyr said as she knelt down to analyze it, calling forth the All Spark's power to dance along both her body and the space bridge itself. Ironhide shook his head. "Still in pretty good shape? It's just as wrecked as the computer!" She just gave him one of those looks even as she pulled off a panel and began to yank out any plants to have taken root within the mechanism itself. "What I _mean_ is that we won't have to rebuild it completely. All we have to do is clean it. We'll be headed home in no time, as opposed to how long it would take to build a new one. Could I get a hand here?" Megatron was first to kneel down and join in, but the rest weren't too far behind. All save Jazz, however. No one really noticed how he stared into the distance, seemingly distracted by a sound he alone could hear… at least until he spoke up. "Uh… guys?" The way they all turned to look at him in perfect unison was halfway between comical and creepy. "I'm… getting a transmission from Bumblebee about something being broadcasted over the human television system, concerning a bit of news coming from some place called Egypt. I think we've got a bit of a problem…"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next up is an epilogue.


	14. Epilogue: From the depths

Here's the epilogue.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The turbulent waves of the Northern Atlantic Ocean gave no hint of any problems to the fishermen who plied their trade upon its surface, hauling nets up on spray-swept decks. Those fish that escaped their nets did so by diving down, down into depths that should have been lightless but were not. Their tiny minds could not comprehend the dome of impossible blue light that covered part of the ocean floor, just as they could not comprehend the form lying beneath that dome, the form that had slowly but surely been taking shape for the past eight years, built up molecule by molecule… The strangeness in itself was enough to keep all eyes away, so none were there to bear witness to the form's first twitches, or to realize that it was, in fact, alive…

The Boy… He remembered the Boy; remembered how the impudent little worm had struck him down just as he was about to claim victory, the destruction of his prize and his near death… How dare that insect think it could succeed where so many others had failed! How dare it do _this_ to him… From his first tentative systems check he had realized what he had become, how his inexplicable resurrection had twisted his body. He had always considered himself the zenith of mechanical perfection, the perfect melding of form and function, grace and strength brought together in the sleek form of a jet polished to a brilliant mirror sheen… Nothing like his current appearance. He was monstrous now, lopsided and deformed, one arm now seemingly devoted solely to the operation of his fusion cannon, the extra mass seemingly drawn from his other arm, making it look small and fragile in comparison. The silvery sheen he had been so proud of was gone, replaced with a dull, sickly iron gray that barely reflected any light at all. But worst of all was what the rebirth had _taken_ from him… He had been reshaped so dramatically as to strip his jet mode from him, replacing it with a ground-crawling tank. His wings had been taken from him… He had lost the ability to fly. All else he could stand, as he could understand that the meat sack was acting in defense of its friends and its world, and the courage it had shown was impressive to say the least. But it would _die_ for taking his wings.

A moment's calm brought an impossible-seeming yet very encouraging sign. Somehow, some way, even despite what had happened to him, he could still sense the All Spark out there somewhere. But how could this be? It had been destroyed; he should know this better than anyone else, considering that he had darn near been killed by its destruction! He would find out, that much was certain. After all, he still lived somehow, and his prize was still out there, so what reason had he not to continue his quest? …No, his quest could wait. He had never before so much as considered putting off his relentless quest for the All Spark, but, then again, he'd never had his wings clipped before, had he? For the first time ever, he decided that revenge would come first. For the crime of depriving him of the ability to fly, The Boy had to die. Yes, he would have his revenge soon. In the meantime, it looked like he had a bit of a hike ahead of him…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all for now, folks. I can't do anything else until ROTF comes out.


End file.
